European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, informed Bosnia’s Council of Ministers Chairman in a phone conversation that the delivery of 650,000 Pfizer vaccines, donated by the European Union, will begin in the Western Balkans in the first half of April, the Council of Ministers said on Saturday.

The distribution of a contingent of 650,000 vaccines will be agreed upon with each of the Western Balkan countries separately.

Council of Ministers Chairman, Zoran Tegeltija, discussed the situation regarding the pandemic with Von Der Leyen and told her about the activities BiH has taken to battle the spread of the virus.

They agreed that accelerating the production and equal and fair global distribution of vaccines, as well as greater solidarity of all countries, are key to stabilization and recovery, as well as to overcoming the problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tegeltija expressed gratitude for the donation and overall support for Bosnia regarding EU initiatives the country is parts of, the Council of Ministers said.

“We stand with our partners in the Western Balkans,” Von Der Leyen tweeted following the meeting, adding that she spoke to Tegeltija about “the procurement of vaccines for BiH, funded by the EU Commission, in order to vaccinate health workers and vulnerable categories as soon as possible.”

“Together we will defeat the pandemic!” she concluded.